First Israeli Spacecraft on the Moon: The Children’s Book

SpaceIL and StellarNova introduce “The Little Spacecraft,” a new book aiming to inspire kids as Israel seeks to make history

TEL AVIV, Dec. 20 – The Israeli nonprofit SpaceIL is partnering with the Israeli multimedia company StellarNova to publish a new children’s book based on SpaceIL’s upcoming historic moon mission.

Launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida in early 2019, the mission will, if successful, earn Israel a spot alongside the three world superpowers — China, Russia and the U.S. — that have landed on the moon.

SpaceIL, which is launching Israel’s first unmanned spacecraft to the moon in early 2019, hopes its mission will create an “Apollo Effect” in Israel and the Diaspora that spawns a new generation of children to become interested in aerospace engineering and space exploration. To accomplish this, SpaceIL has found a perfect partner with StellarNova, which produces books, science experiments, toys, videos and more that encourage kids to get involved in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).

“The Little Spacecraft,” by StellarNova’s Dr. Mom, is the story of Berrie, a toy spacecraft based on SpaceIL’s real spacecraft Beresheet. Berrie dreams of going to the moon, but the other toys believe she is too small for such a big dream. Using easy-to-understand language, Berrie explains to her new friends how each of her special tools are designed to help her accomplish her mission.

“’The Little Spacecraft’ is a book that aims to inspire the next generation of young Israelis – and Jewish children the world over – to think differently about the STEM subjects,” said Sari Brosh Rechav, SpaceIL VP. “With SpaceIL helping Israel to land on the moon, and by describing a parallel journey that any Jewish child could relate to, we hope to nurture the dreams of kids across Israel and around the Diaspora to venture into the STEM subjects and help take more giant leaps for mankind.”

SpaceIL is a non-profit organization established in 2011 aiming to land the first Israeli spacecraft on the moon. SpaceIL was founded by three young engineers competing for the international Google Lunar XPRIZE challenge to build, launch and land an unmanned lunar spacecraft. SpaceIL’s other stated goal is to inspire the next generation in Israel and around the world to choose to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

About StellarNova:

StellarNova Ltd. is an edutainment company specializing in STEM products for children. Dr. Mom and her team at StellarNova strive to provide kids, parents, and educators with the tools to unlock the superpowers of science through literature, adventures, games, and hands-on experiences.